Jetcraft Aviation
Encyclopedia
Toll Aviation is an airline
based in Brisbane
, Australia
. It operates priority air freight services on behalf of Toll Priority
. Its main base is Brisbane Airport
, with hubs at Sydney
's Bankstown Airport
, Adelaide International Airport
and Mackay Airport
.
with two Mitsubishi MU-2Gs
and a Fairchild SA226-TC Metro II
. In the next two years the Metro fleet was gradually built up and the MU-2s withdrawn. The company also operated an Aerostar 601P from Mackay, and two Beechcraft B58 Barons
from Archerfield Airport in Brisbane. An IAI WW24 Westwind
was leased to operate a Wards Express freight contract with jetCraft pilots between Darwin, Alice Springs and Melbourne halfway through 1992. By 1993 the fleet consisted of one Westwind, three Metro IIs and three SA227-AC Metro IIIs
, an Aerostar, and two Barons. On 16 April that year Jetcraft suffered its first aircraft loss in a non-fatal landing accident to a Metro II at Mackay Airport. Later the same year it established its Bankstown hub, flying bank documents and general freight on behalf of Security Express initially with the two remaining Metro IIs and an Aero Commander 681 Hawk Commander, the Mitsubishi MU-2 (an MU-2J) reappearing in the fleet as well at this time.
In 1994 a Piper Navajo and D55 Baron
were added to the Archerfield fleet.
A third SA226 (a Merlin IVA version converted as a freighter) was added to the fleet and on the evening of 9 March 1994 this aircraft was destroyed (in what was Jetcraft's only fatal accident) when it hit a mountain between Armidale
and Tamworth
while on its daily scheduled freight run from Bankstown to northern New South Wales
and return. The pilot was the only person on board. In 1995 a de Havilland Canada Dash 7
was introduced to the fleet to service a fly-in fly-out
contract, transporting mine employees between Cairns International Airport
and Kidston, a small community between Cairns and Julia Creek in the Queensland outback
. Jetcraft added the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
to its fleet in 2005 and experienced a considerable jump in capacity and capability in 2007 with the introduction of the ATR 42
into its fleet. The two ATRs and its Caravans were painted in the colours of Toll Priority
, a successor company to Security Express on behalf of which Jetcraft operated most of its fleet.
On 12 December 2007 Jetcraft was placed in Administration due to financial problems partly caused by the unexpected grounding of two of its aircraft and a long running dispute with its major customer.
The company was then acquired by Toll Holdings
its major customer and was renamed Toll Aviation in mid-2008; operations continue with a reduced fleet.
All of the fleet were formerly operated by Jetcraft; while it is registered, the Metro II has been retired and is at Archerfield Airport
being used as a source of spare parts. At the time of Jetcraft being placed in administration in December 2007 the fleet numbered 19 aircraft:
The two Cessna Conquests were grounded following advice from the manufacturer that it had imposed a life limit of 22,500 flying hours on all examples of the type, leading to the company being placed in Administration.
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Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It operates priority air freight services on behalf of Toll Priority
Toll Priority
Toll Priority is a logistics company and cargo airline based in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia with operations from Melbourne, Sydney , Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Darwin....
. Its main base is Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, with hubs at Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport is a general aviation airport and business park located in the City of Bankstown, from the central business district of Sydney, Australia...
, Adelaide International Airport
Adelaide International Airport
Adelaide Airport is the principal airport in the South Australian capital of Adelaide and the fifth busiest airport in Australia, servicing 7,362,000 passengers in the year ending 30 June 2011. Located adjacent to West Beach, it is approximately west of the city-centre...
and Mackay Airport
Mackay Airport
Mackay Airport located in Mackay, Queensland, Australia is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Mackay, with flights to the cities of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns...
.
History
The airline was established as cargo charter company Jetcraft Aviation in 1989, operating initially in QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
with two Mitsubishi MU-2Gs
Mitsubishi MU-2
The Mitsubishi MU-2 is one of postwar Japan's most successful aircraft. It is a high-wing, twin-engine turboprop, and has a pressurized cabin.-Design and development:...
and a Fairchild SA226-TC Metro II
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
. In the next two years the Metro fleet was gradually built up and the MU-2s withdrawn. The company also operated an Aerostar 601P from Mackay, and two Beechcraft B58 Barons
Beechcraft Baron
|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....
from Archerfield Airport in Brisbane. An IAI WW24 Westwind
IAI Westwind
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Frawley, Gerald. "IAI Westwind". The International Directory of Civil Aircraft 1997/98. Fyshwick ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1997. ISBN 1-875671-26-9....
was leased to operate a Wards Express freight contract with jetCraft pilots between Darwin, Alice Springs and Melbourne halfway through 1992. By 1993 the fleet consisted of one Westwind, three Metro IIs and three SA227-AC Metro IIIs
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
, an Aerostar, and two Barons. On 16 April that year Jetcraft suffered its first aircraft loss in a non-fatal landing accident to a Metro II at Mackay Airport. Later the same year it established its Bankstown hub, flying bank documents and general freight on behalf of Security Express initially with the two remaining Metro IIs and an Aero Commander 681 Hawk Commander, the Mitsubishi MU-2 (an MU-2J) reappearing in the fleet as well at this time.
Beechcraft Baron
|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....
were added to the Archerfield fleet.
A third SA226 (a Merlin IVA version converted as a freighter) was added to the fleet and on the evening of 9 March 1994 this aircraft was destroyed (in what was Jetcraft's only fatal accident) when it hit a mountain between Armidale
Armidale, New South Wales
Armidale is a city in the Northern Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia. Armidale Dumaresq Shire had a population of 19,485 people according to the 2006 census. It is the administrative centre for the Northern Tablelands region...
and Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
while on its daily scheduled freight run from Bankstown to northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and return. The pilot was the only person on board. In 1995 a de Havilland Canada Dash 7
De Havilland Canada Dash 7
The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with STOL capabilities. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing and was later sold to Bombardier...
was introduced to the fleet to service a fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is common in large mining states in Australia...
contract, transporting mine employees between Cairns International Airport
Cairns International Airport
Cairns Airport is an international airport in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Formerly operated by the Cairns Port Authority, the airport was sold by the Queensland Government in December 2008 to a private consortium. It is the seventh busiest airport in Australia. The airport is located north of...
and Kidston, a small community between Cairns and Julia Creek in the Queensland outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
. Jetcraft added the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Cessna 208
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...
to its fleet in 2005 and experienced a considerable jump in capacity and capability in 2007 with the introduction of the ATR 42
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
into its fleet. The two ATRs and its Caravans were painted in the colours of Toll Priority
Toll Priority
Toll Priority is a logistics company and cargo airline based in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia with operations from Melbourne, Sydney , Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Darwin....
, a successor company to Security Express on behalf of which Jetcraft operated most of its fleet.
On 12 December 2007 Jetcraft was placed in Administration due to financial problems partly caused by the unexpected grounding of two of its aircraft and a long running dispute with its major customer.
The company was then acquired by Toll Holdings
Toll Holdings
TOLL , properly TOLL Holdings Limited, is Australia's largest transport company, based in Melbourne, Victoria. The company has operations in road, rail, sea and air in 55 countries....
its major customer and was renamed Toll Aviation in mid-2008; operations continue with a reduced fleet.
Fleet
As of December 2008 the Toll Aviation fleet consists of the following aircraft:- 2 ATR 42ATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
-300 - 2 Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23Fairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
- 6 Fairchild SA227-AC Metro IIIFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
- 1 Fairchild SA227-AT ExpediterFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
- 1 Fairchild SA227-AT Merlin IVCFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
- 1 Fairchild SA226-TC Metro IIFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
All of the fleet were formerly operated by Jetcraft; while it is registered, the Metro II has been retired and is at Archerfield Airport
Archerfield Airport
Archerfield Airport is a small airport located 7 1/2 miles at Archerfield in the south west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. For some time it was the primary airport in Brisbane. During World War II it was used as a Royal Australian Air Force station. Airport traffic peaked in the 1980s...
being used as a source of spare parts. At the time of Jetcraft being placed in administration in December 2007 the fleet numbered 19 aircraft:
- 2 ATR 42-300
- 1 Beechcraft 58 BaronBeechcraft Baron|-See also:- Further reading :*Harding, Stephen. U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Shrewsbury, UK:Airlife Publishing, 1990. ISBN 1-85310-102-8.*Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0-7106-1208-7.*Taylor, John W. R....
- 2 Cessna 208B Grand CaravanCessna 208The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...
- 2 Cessna 441 ConquestCessna 441-See also:-External links:* *...
- 3 Fairchild SA227-DC Metro 23
- 6 Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III
- 1 Fairchild SA227-AT Expediter
- 1 Fairchild SA227-AT Merlin IVC
- 1 Fairchild SA226-TC Metro II
The two Cessna Conquests were grounded following advice from the manufacturer that it had imposed a life limit of 22,500 flying hours on all examples of the type, leading to the company being placed in Administration.
External links
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